Meg Whitman says her former housekeeper might have intercepted a government letter in 2003 warning that the maid could be in the country illegally.

When asked at a news conference Thursday in Santa Monica whether the worker might have taken the letter intended for Whitman, the Republican gubernatorial candidate said "it's very possible."

The housekeeper's attorney Gloria Allred has said she will release "evidence" later Thursday to show Whitman knew she employed an illegal worker. Whitman says she fired the housekeeper, Nicky Diaz Santillan, in 2009 after the maid disclosed she was in the U.S. illegally.

Specifically, Whitman disputes that she received a 2003 letter from the Social Security Administration that said the Social Security number provided by the housekeeper did not match the name on file.